Westmont Magazine Meet the Parents
At two busy Dallas college fairs this fall, Lane and Sheryl Troiani learned something about Westmont: lots of prospective students are interested in enrolling. The new members of the Westmont Parents Council joined an admissions counselor at the events and answered questions from people crowding around the booth.
“We’re worker-bee kind of people, and it was fun and rewarding to help Westmont,” Sheryl says. “I don’t know what they would have done without us as lots of people stopped by,” Lane adds. The couple also staffed a hospitality table at Westmont’s Orientation in August, when they attended their first Parents Council meeting. “The parents in the group have been fantastic, and it’s been great to get to know them,” Lane says. “They are impressive people.”
Brooks Troiani is a sophomore majoring in history. He heard about Westmont at Trinity Christian Academy, where he enrolled in kindergarten and stayed through high school. “Brooks’ experience at Westmont has been fantastic — he really loves it,” Lane says. “It’s been an answer to prayer for him and for us,” Sheryl says.
Brooks developed an interest in history at Trinity, which combines English and history into a double class. “He loved the integration of two subjects, and it cemented his passion for the liberal arts,” Sheryl says. One of his teachers encouraged students to stretch themselves and consider colleges outside of Texas. Brooks took this advice to heart, and Westmont seemed to be a good fit. “He wanted an intimate environment and a liberal arts program,” Lane says. “We just wanted him to go to a Christian college. I think it’s been a good thing for Brooks to get away, meet new people and experience different cultures.”
High-quality Christian education is important to the Troianis. “The public school system in Dallas is so enormous, we were afraid our sons would get lost in the shuffle,” Lane says. They looked at private schools and settled on Trinity because of its academic rigor, college-prep program and Christian commitment.
The Troianis have been impressed with the strength of Westmont’s academic program, and they appreciate the many activities available for students through the residence halls. “Westmont does a great job of integrating students into the life of the college,” Sheryl says. “Some of Brooks’ friends found it difficult to acclimate to college, but Westmont makes it easy without holding their hands.”
Brooks will participate in Westmont’s first Mediterranean Semester in spring 2011, living in France and traveling to Italy and Spain, staying in Israel/Palestine with trips to Jordan and Syria, and spending a week in Istanbul. He’ll earn units in French, history and religious studies for a true liberal arts experience. A class fall semester helped student prepare, providing information like the need to pack enough Pepto Bismol tablets for the entire time.
Brooks hasn’t made definite plans for his future, but he’s thinking about teaching college. Professors like Alister Chapman in the history department have inspired and impressed him.
This fall, the Troianis also served on the steering committee for the Bright Hope for Tomorrow campaign dinner in Dallas, and they enjoyed meeting Westmont alumni and parents from Texas.
Lane works as senior vice president of commercial lending at a small commercial bank in Dallas. Sheryl is a senior controller for a commercial real estate company. The couple met when they were students at Baylor University and live in Dallas with their younger son, Blake, a freshman at Trinity. They enjoy traveling, especially to ski resorts and the beach. At home, Sheryl gardens and Lane works on cars.
“We are always available and open to talk to parents of prospective or current students,” says Sheryl. Their contact information appears on the parents page of the Westmont website.